My comedy writing journey has involved a number of firsts. First novel. First time doing standup comedy. First time on the radio and now my first time on TV.

To give you an insight into the inner workings of my mind, here are some of my topmost thoughts:

• What’ll I wear?
• Do I do my own makeup?
• Does the camera really add a few pounds and if so to where…face, boobs, belly?
• Will I be able to suck my stomach in for the guts of 10 minutes?

I’m sure you’ll agree that all of the above are pressing questions requiring serious consideration. But how did we get on TV? I’d describe it as a combination of hard work and good fortune. Orla Doherty and I describe ourselves as shameless hustlers. To kickstart our fledgling comedy writing careers we have to hustle. We shake every tree. We pull every thread. We put ourselves out there to see what might come of it. That’s the hard work part.

The good luck part goes by the name of Amanda Brunker. Former Miss Ireland, TV personality, award-winning playwright, No. 1 bestselling author, is there anything she can’t do? One thing she hasn’t done is standup comedy and that’s where ChatterBoxx comes in. Amanda will do her standup comedy debut at the Funny Women show this November and this is big news. So much so that it garnered a slot on Virgin Media Television’s Ireland AM on 18^th October 2023.

We cruised into Virgin Media studios in Dublin at an hour deemed ungodly to me. Makeup wise I need all the help I can get at that hour of the morning. I didn’t have bags under my eyes, no, I had luggage. But nothing that a few trowels of makeup couldn’t solve. The fabulous crew took great care of us and Amanda, Orla and I had a fantastic chat with Muireann O’Connell and Tommy Bowe.

So that was my first ever time on TV but will it be the last? I hope not but doubtless more hard luck and good fortune will be required to manifest it.

Check out the interview here on Virgin Media Player https://www.virginmediatelevision.ie/player/show/809/212305/0/Ireland-AM